|
Thorne and Hatfield Moors Conservation Forum |
|
|
|
Thorne and Hatfield Moors Conservation Forum |
|
Following an experimental garden established by Wm Casson on the south-western edge of Thorne Moors, he and his brother J.C. Casson established a commercial nursery there. This specialized in named hybrid rhododendrons, plus some rhododendrons of their own raising. It also included a range of other shrubs and woody plants for sale. The Casson ventures spanned the 1830s-80s, and a stock-list was printed in 1872. Following the death of Wm Casson, the nursery was abandoned, and much of it was destroyed by fire in 1896.
A copy of the 1872 stock-list has survived, and records a wide variety of plants. This Technical Report presents the rhododendron component of that list, comprising 191 hybrid rhododendrons, three non-hybrid rhododendrons, three azaleodendrons and 10-11 hybrid azaleas. Descriptions – mainly of the flowers – are given for each where these were originally included in the Casson listing. It has been possible to add some others retrospectively, but for the rest no such description is available. The ‘Casson’ project had the active support of Dr A.C. Leslie, Principal Registrar with the Royal Horticultural Society, Wisley, and himself the International Rhododendron Registrar. His input allowed the inclusion of hitherto untraced descriptions of some rhododendrons grown by the Casson brothers. The Technical Report also has an historical outline of the early garden and subsequent nursery, to give as full a picture as possible of these provincial rhododendron specialists.
Many Casson rhododendrons survive on the south-western flank of Thorne Moors. They still have great morphological diversity, and collectively exhibit a relatively long flowering season. However, it may no longer be possible to match the Thorne examples with any extant hardy hybrids originating from the 19th century. Thus, the only readily available window into the range and scale of the Casson rhododendrons of almost a century and a half ago is the present Technical Report. It offers a wealth of cultivar names, and wherever possible, gives linked descriptions of the blooms and occasionally of other features.
To order a copy please see our web page giving information on ordering
You can return to the home page by clicking on this image wherever you see it in the website.